


Pulse Duet

by einsKai



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, GakuTenn Jesus Kai breaking the bread once again, Happy birthday Lin, Healthy Brotherly Relationships, Heart Symbolism, King!Kujou, M/M, Magical Realism, Marriage Proposal, Prince!Tenn, Revolution, Revolutionary!Gaku, Some Humor, Soulmates, actually they're heartmates, i guess, kind of, overthrowing the government as a first date is pretty romantic isn't it, well not only symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16419008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/einsKai/pseuds/einsKai
Summary: “I will capture you, bit by bit, and when I’m finished with you, you will be going with me of your own free will. The prince of the kingdom, a traitor to his king, seduced by a thief. Won’t that make an amazing story?”





	Pulse Duet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Li_no](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Li_no/gifts).



> Lin, happy birthday!
> 
> This story became way longer than I intended, and also took a very different direction than my initial plan designated, but here we are now.
> 
> My attempt at explaining the politics of this universe didn't fit very well with the rest of the story, so take this short version with a grain of salt:  
> Beginning of the story: Autocracy  
> End of the story: Council democracy with a monarch  
> I know that this detail is probably not very important for most, but I didn't want to leave it out xD
> 
> Now have fun reading!
> 
> \- Kai

Prince Kujou Tenn was bored.

It had been another uneventful day, like every day in this castle had been previously. Every day the same old routine. Boring.

His adoptive father could handle his autocracy over the kingdom on his own wonderfully, and didn’t need Tenn for anything but looking good next to him on official occasions.

Of course Tenn could read to pass the time, but he found that most of the books in the library told tales of adventures and things so unnatural and unrealistic that he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy them, without having at least some memories he could apply to these stories. His mind would be filled with vivid images from the stories, but as soon as he put the book down, the images would be gone as well, leaving him with the bitter taste of loneliness and boredom once again.

Tenn wanted to go on an adventure himself, yet at the moment he felt more like the goal of someone else’s adventure. A lonely prince trapped in a golden cage. Waiting for his saviour to come and rescue him.

Sighing he looked out of the open window of his room.  
The view was nice. He could overlook the castle’s gardens, the servant’s living quarters, already dark this late at night, and beyond the castle wall: the city. It seemed lively. Maybe there was a new play in the theatre, or a travelling menagerie had decided to stop by and entertain the people.  
Oh, how Tenn yearned for a life as a normal person, to be able to enjoy simple things like that!

Instead he had to settle for watching the starry sky, endless night spread out above him, dotted with small lights. Like eyes watching him the stars twinkled down.

Did stars get bored as well?, Tenn questioned in thought, as to not disturb the quiet of the night. Stars didn’t do anything but slowly cross the riverbank of the sky for the duration of the night. Doing nothing but that, night after night… it couldn’t be very stimulating.

But at least the stars had company, as there were so many of them. Having someone of the same kin with them on a boring task easily made it far more enjoyable already.

Briefly the prince remembered red hair and eyes, but quickly he shoved that thought away. He couldn’t allow himself to dwell in the past, not when there was no way that he could ever return to the happiness of those days.

He sighed again, and began tracing the frame of his open window.

The rose wood was smooth under the pads of his fingers. It had been carved beautifully, forming a pattern of leaves and blossoms, twigs and branches, just waiting to be explored by his fingers, to be traced, discovered anew with every other inch he touched.

What did the artist feel when they created this magnificent piece of art? Did they feel happy to have received a request from their king?

Having been born as a commoner, Tenn knew that the public opinion on King Kujou wasn’t very positive. His parents hadn’t liked the idea of giving their son to their king, but denying him had been out of the question in their situation. He was the king, and nobody defied the king, if they valued their loved one’s lives… and their own.

Tenn knew that this room had been remodelled shortly before he had been adopted, but did that include this wooden frame? How old was it? What history did this wood hold? How many other royal children had lamented while stroking the wood like he was doing it at the moment? How old had the tree the wood had been taken from been? How many young lovers had taken the roses from it to express their love, before it had been chopped off and made into this window frame?

Something touching his fingers made Tenn jolt back in shock.  
A gloved hand had appeared in front of his window and was now grasping onto the fine carving of the frame. Even the tiniest crook seemed to become a solid hold for the hand, and it only took a few heartbeats for the body that belonged to that hand to have climbed up to kneel on the windowsill.

Tenn had taken a few steps backwards, out of reach for the person that had just climbed up the outer castle wall. His room was four stories up. Despite the fear sounding in his ears in the form of his frantic heart, Tenn couldn’t help but think that it was impressive.

The figure on his windowsill turned out to be a man. A man with a cocky grin, half his face hidden behind an elegant mask in a style that Tenn knew from some of the illustrations from a book about a warm town built on water, where no streets existed and the citizens had to walk on bridges, or take boats to get anywhere.  
The man was clad in black, almost not visible against the night sky, if his hair and skin hadn’t been starkly contrasting with it. The fair skin and light grey, almost silver, hair seemed to shine like the moon in a starless night.

“Good evening, my prince”, the man said and jumped from the windowsill, landing on the carpet on the floor without making a sound, despite wearing heavy, black footwear.

Tenn swallowed. Was this an assassin? Had he come to bring an end to the Kujou reign?

“Do not fret”, the man said, seemingly he had picked up on the fear in Tenn’s eyes, “I did not come here to kill you.”

Tenn breathed, relieved. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the wish to get rid of a tyrant king like his adopted father apparently was, but he would like to keep his life in the process – he hadn’t chosen to be named prince after all.

“I’m not a murderer”, the man explained. Now Tenn saw that he was wearing a tailcoat over a dress shirt that was just as black as the rest of his clothing. What a strange get-up for a climbing action, “I am simply a thief.”

“A thief”, Tenn repeated flatly, “And you came here to steal what exactly?”

“Well~”, the thief said, “Actually I’m on a mission to steal a heart.”

‘Stealing a heart’ sounded like a verse from a poem of love, but instead of feeling anything remotely related to that, Tenn felt ice-cold panic wash over him.

What many outsiders didn’t know was that the kingdom had been cursed for many, many centuries.  
Instead of something biological, an organ, something rooted deeply inside of one’s body, something that would kill if removed, ‘hearts’ had become something that could indeed be stolen.

Tenn didn’t know the exact history of the phenomenon, but it was said that a witch didn’t want her lover to leave her and used this curse to capture her lover’s heart forever – accidentally cursing the whole kingdom.

“Whose heart are you stealing?”, Tenn asked the thief.

Getting one’s heart stolen wasn’t dangerous, as long as nothing happened to the removed heart.  
Still, Tenn would like to keep his heart close to himself, thank you very much.

“Actually I was trying to steal the king’s – May He Rule Forever – heart, but now that the little prince presented himself to me like this… I might just steal yours.”

The thief had the audacity to wink, and Tenn swallowed audibly.  
Getting his heart stolen wouldn’t be very good for the idea of the kingdom that Kujou wanted. Too easily would it be to take him as a hostage. Blackmailing the king with having control over the heartless prince.

He knew that if the king had a weakness it was him.

It wasn’t a good idea to let his heart get stolen by the stranger.

Should he scream for the guards?  
They would surely rush here to save him.

But something stopped him from doing it.  
Maybe it was the shine of the candles on polished rose wood, glistening like gold for a split second.  
Adventure.

“If you’re trying to steal my heart, why don’t you just steal the whole me?”, Tenn asked, and crossed his arms, to hide his quivering fingers. He didn’t know if this quiver was fear or anticipation. Possibly both.

The thief smiled.

“My, what a perfect offer. I will steal you away then.”

This time Tenn didn’t jerk away, when the thief closed in on him.

Gloved hands took hold of him, pulling him close to the other. His heart was beating in his ribcage like a trapped bird, the adrenaline making the noise of blood rushing through his ears sounding louder than usual.

Held in the arms of the thief like this, Tenn felt an odd sense of comfort.

“I won’t take you away immediately”, the thief said, “I will capture you, bit by bit, and when I’m finished with you, you will be going with me of your own free will. The prince of the kingdom, a traitor to his king, seduced by a thief. Won’t that make an amazing story?”

Tenn was about to say something snarky, to tell the thief that he wouldn’t be swept off his feet that easily, when the thief swooped him up into his arms and carried him out of the window.  
Panicking his grip on the other’s clothes became stronger, but the fall was a short one. From window to window the thief carried him, and when they arrived at the ground level, the thief let go of Tenn.

“How about a date, to begin the quest of stealing you away from the king?”, he asked, and offered Tenn a mask, that he had produced from somewhere. Tenn took it from him. If they would be going outside the castle, it was better to not be seen, being the crown prince and all.

Just as he had put on the mask, the thief grabbed his wrist and pulled him along to the edge of the castle gardens, where he helped him climb a tree, to get over the walls surrounding the garden.

The castle was built on top of a hill, seated in the middle of the city, and from up here one could see what Tenn had been suspecting to be a fair or something akin to that. The lights and the bustling life in the city this evening hadn’t been anything happy.

There was a fire.

Tenn was looking straight into the burning ruins of a storehouse. It was one of those that stored supplies, like salt or wheat, for the winter. The fire seemed to be under control by the firefighters, who were doing their best to extinguish the fire. Still, around the scene a crowd had formed, and Tenn could hear cries, screams.

“Why are they crying?”, Tenn asked, “This is only one storehouse. There are several others where they can buy food from in the winter, aren’t there?”

“Oh prince”, the thief said, and shook his head sadly, “This storehouse isn’t the only one that burned in the last few weeks. And every citizen has a special card given to them by the king that tells them at which storehouses they can get food. At the others they won’t be able to purchase anything, rather they would be thrown into prison if they only attempted to go near them. This storehouse was one of the few ones available for everyone. The people you see lamenting down there… Not all of them will survive the winter, even though in theory the kingdom has enough resources for everyone.”

“That’s not fair… and the king really does something like that?”

“In fact it was probably the king who ordered this storehouse to be set on fire”, the thief said, “You know, the king is very peculiar about ruling a perfect kingdom. And the people living here in this district, poor people, sick people who can’t work, even homeless people… they are far from perfect. It’s like weeding a garden for the king.”

Tenn didn’t have words. He had known that the king wasn’t completely sane, especially not since his two most cherished members of court left him years ago, but he hadn’t known that it was this bad. He didn’t have a reason not to believe the thief though. King Kujou’s reputation hadn’t been good before he had adopted Tenn either, and his personal view of the king hadn’t become any better afterwards. He just hadn’t known about any outside events, as he never received any news inside of the castle.

“What is going through your pretty little head right now?”, the thief asked, “Did I manage to steal it already?”

Tenn swallowed, but still didn’t say anything. He felt his fingers twitching. The thief had said that the kingdom had enough resources for everyone to be fed. But if the king was deliberately burning those resources not every citizen would survive. Down in the crowd he saw mothers with their children, young workers who looked as if they were despairing over the load of work they shouldered, on top of more worries because of the fire, firefighters, still working to keep the fire under control, to keep it from spreading further, and not taking only food, but also living spaces.

“They’re all crying”, he said then, even though the people who were actually crying were not many, though they were loud enough to be heard, “They’re all crying and cursing their king, who is doing this to them.”

“King Kujou – May He Rule Forever – is by far the least liked king this kingdom has ever seen”, the thief said, again using that strange phrase he had used earlier as well, “We’re all hoping for change. You’re the next in line for the throne. Will you continue to be the finely groomed prince that the king presents to us, or will you become someone better?”

Tenn shook his head. “Of course I won’t let anyone starve to death if I can help it!”, he declared, “I was born a commoner myself. I have a twin brother out there somewhere, if he’s still alive. The people are the greatest treasure a kingdom has. Letting them die, or making them die, is a crime and I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if it happened during my reign.”

“Well then”, the thief climbed up the wall behind them in one swift move and extended his hand for Tenn to take it, to help him up. Sitting on the garden wall next to each other Tenn felt a sense of peace and freedom he had never felt after coming to the castle. The thief leaned forward and brushed Tenn’s hair away from his face. Their faces were incredibly close, and Tenn felt his heart throbbing in his chest. He held his breath. The thief smiled, “Wait for me. I will come to steal you.”

Taking Tenn’s mask off of his face, the thief seemed to melt into the darkness of the castle gardens and was gone.

When Tenn slid down the wall, back onto the castle grounds and made his way to the main building, to return to his room, he thought that maybe, just maybe, the thief had already managed to steal his heart.

 

When Tenn woke up the next morning he didn’t feel like anything that had happened last night had been real. The guards had been slightly confused when he had returned to his room, as they hadn’t seen him leave it, but he had just smiled at them and told them that he hadn’t seen any guards when he left and they must have missed each other. That satisfied them, and he was able to go to his room. As soon as his head had touched the pillow he had fallen into a deep dreamless sleep.

Now he was sitting at the breakfast table, alone once again, as the king was off somewhere, having a meeting, or just brooding over some plan to make his kingdom more perfect. He was waiting for one of the chefs to bring him his breakfast, and when the door opened, a new face greeted him.

The new chef was wearing the same uniform as other chefs did. He had a very stoic face, but handsome features. He was fairly tall as well, his light hair and skin making the effect of ‘attractive person’ more intense.

He set a platter down in front of the prince, and Tenn looked at his usual breakfast, a set of different sweet pastries, baked in the different styles of the different regions of the kingdom.

But instead of focusing on the breakfast too much he looked at the chef again. He really didn’t know this one.

“Wait a minute”, he called out to the man, who was about to leave the room again, “Why don’t you come and sit down with me for a minute?”

The chef seemed surprised. Obviously, no chef would expect the prince of the kingdom to ask them to sit with him. Still, he followed Tenn’s invitation and sat down on one of the chairs on the right side of the table.

“You’re a new chef here, right?”, Tenn asked. He hadn’t started eating yet.

“I started a few weeks ago my prince”, the man answered earnestly. For some reason Tenn thought that the chef’s voice sounded familiar.

“What’s your name?”

“Yaotome Gaku, my prince.”

“Drop the ‘my prince’ stuff, Yaotome-san”, Tenn said politely, “There’s nobody here. I just want to chat during my breakfast. Did you make any of these?”

The chef pointed at a pastry that was shaped like a circle with a hole in the middle. Tenn smiled. That kind of pastry was one of his favourites. He picked it up and bit into it.

“Thank you for your hard work”, he said, “It’s very delicious.”

“I’m just doing my job”, Yaotome Gaku said, and smiled awkwardly. He didn’t really seem to know what to do with his hands, as he was fiddling with them under the table.

“Do you want a pastry too?”, Tenn asked, to help the poor guy out. He really wasn’t putting him into a nice situation.

“Ah, no! I can’t just… _steal_ a pastry from you, my prince”, the man said. His attitude changed completely, for just a split second, and he flashed Tenn a grin, that he knew all too well, until turning back into the chef he had only just met, “I will take my leave for the kitchen again now. It was pleasant chatting with you, my prince.”

He bowed, and disappeared through the servant’s door. Tenn’s mouth was wide open.

The thief had infiltrated the castle already. Weeks ago. And the thief’s name was Yaotome Gaku… If that was his real name. But no, there was no way that he could have used a fake name. The castle didn’t just hire anyone, there were thorough checks that no unwanted people could just enter the castle or start working.

Suddenly Tenn spotted something. Under a pastry something peeked out.

When Tenn carefully lifted the pastry he found a slip of paper underneath.

“Welcome to the revolution”, it said in neat handwriting, “Wait for me. Four days. May He Rule Forever.”

Tenn smiled. He would wait for Gaku patiently.

 

The fourth night came quicker than prince Tenn would have guessed.

He wasn’t exactly busy with anything meaningful, but at least he had found a way to entertain himself. Ever since that message in his breakfast, he and the ‘chef’ Yaotome Gaku had been exchanging secret messages over the food he brought him. Tenn was the prince, so he could demand a certain chef to be responsible for his food and serving him, so it was easy to make sure nobody else saw the messages.  
Like that the two of them entertained themselves by hiding the messages over the platter that Tenn received for every meal.

He would receive one letter at a time with every second meal and he would send an answer back with the other half of the meals. Well, actually it was Gaku who was answering him, as Tenn used their exchange to ask questions. They were careful not to talk about anything serious, in case they were caught – that first time was an exception. Tenn’s favourite letter by far was one he had received with his lunch on the second day of waiting. It was a rather long poem making fun of the head butler’s hairdo. Tenn couldn’t argue with that – the aging man trying to cover up that he was balding did look ridiculous.  
Tenn mostly asked questions about Gaku.

Where he came from (a rather large town not far from the city), who his parents were (a famous chef, as Tenn found out later when he looked up a register of certified chefs in the archives of the castle, and the mayor of the town, though they were divorced), what he liked to do in his free time (here he had only received a cryptic ‘you’ll see’, just as he had when he had asked for friends of Gaku’s). The last question Tenn sent on the morning of the fourth day that was supposed to be the last of his days spent in the eternal boredom of this golden cage, was the only one he took a small risk with.

“Suppose one would have been invited to a date this evening, what kind of attire would you recommend?”

The answer was phrased in a neutral way, but Tenn understood it immediately. “Official of course. Who wouldn’t want to go on a date with the wonderful crown prince? But maybe you would like to be able to conceal your identity.”

Tenn stared at the slip of paper he had received with his lunch and thought about it.

That evening he sat at the window in his room, dressed in his latest official uniform the king had made the royal tailor craft for him. Over the uniform he wore a long coat he had borrowed from the guard’s winter equipment. It was dark, warm and would completely hide his uniform. It was perfect for letting himself be stolen.

Tenn smiled slightly as he traced the frame of the window with his finger, like he had done many evenings before. Knowing that this would be the last time this evening made his heart beat faster with anticipation. All the possibilities that awaited him when he finally left these walls… Adventures over adventures. Maybe he would be able to see his brother again.  
Gaku should hurry up and steal him already. Tenn was getting impatient.

Just as he had thought that, multiple things happened at once.

A figure the prince recognized as Gaku in his thief getup appeared on his windowsill illuminated from behind by the last rays of the dying sun. He looked like an angel to Tenn, an epitome of freedom.  
The door to Tenn’s room flew open, and from two people’s mouths he heard his name being called, one time from the thief and one time...

“Tenn!”, King Kujou, Tenn’s adopted father, obviously not pleased about something, said, obviously not pleased with something, “I hear that you have been making acquaintance with a chef from the lower class. We cannot have you making… _friends_ , especially not friends of such a low standing. I order you to immediately refrain from associating –“, the king stopped mid-word when he saw the thief, who had stepped off the windowsill in one smooth movement.

Before the king could call for guards, Gaku had reacted already, and had put Tenn in a chokehold, a dagger that he had produced from who-knows-where pressed against Tenn’s throat. The cold steel bit Tenn’s skin, and he felt a surge of adrenaline.

“Not a word”, the thief threatened, “Or your perfect kingdom won’t have a perfect prince anymore.”

King Kujou raised his hands. He hadn’t taken any weapons with him to lecture Tenn, so he was defenseless.

Gaku behind Tenn took a step backwards, pulling Tenn along with him. Quickly they had disappeared out of the window and took the same route down the wall as they had taken a few days ago. The rush to the outer wall seemed like a dream to Tenn. Only in a daze he realised that behind them the castle was waking up from the evening slumber it had already fallen into, and the guards began roaming the gardens and the surrounding streets in search for him.

Gaku helped him over the wall in a different place than last time, this part of the wall was located directly next to a street. A horse-drawn carriage was waiting for them, and Gaku pulled Tenn along into the wagon.

“Go Ryuu, go! They already started searching for us, we don’t have long!”, he called to the front and almost immediately the horses began pulling the carriage.

“We have to hide”, he said, turning around to Tenn apologetically, “I didn’t anticipate King Kujou – May He Rule Forever – to show up and alarm anyone, so Plan B has to suffice.”

Tenn nodded. He understood that this rushed escape wasn’t going exactly according to plan, but he was still a little out of breath and too overwhelmed to contribute anything.

The thief knelt down on the floor of the carriage and pried at some of the wooden boards it was made of. He pried them off and below that a secret compartment came into Tenn’s view.

“This could get uncomfortable, but it’s just for a short while, I promise”, Gaku said, again seeming like he wanted to apologise.

“I can handle it”, Tenn finally managed to say something. He climbed into the dark compartment of the carriage and rolled over to the very side. It was loud down here. He could hear every noise the wheels made on the cobbled street below them, and it wasn’t as well isolated as the rest of the carriage. The wind that came with the driving was noticeably rustling Tenn’s clothes. He was glad that he had taken a winter coat and not something more light.

Next to him Gaku lowered himself into the carriage as well, and closed the secret entrance. In this darkness Tenn felt his other senses heighten. He could feel every uneven part of the wood below his fingertips, hear Gaku’s breathing somewhere next to him, and his heartbeat in his chest seemed more intense than usual. A touch on his shoulder made him flinch back.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me”, the thief whispered, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m good”, he whispered, “Are you?”

“My, the prince is worried for me”, the other said, but his voice quivered a little, broke under the weight of the teasing he had wanted to convey.

“You can’t handle small spaces?”, Tenn asked, supressing the urge to tease back, as he now was a little worried about his companion. Maybe the touch hadn’t been there to make sure he was alright, but an attempt to gain company…

Tenn took the thief’s wrist into his hand. Without another word he held onto it, hoping that it would be enough to reassure the other that it was alright.

The carriage came to a halt. In front a voice, harsh one, called out to the carter.

“Identify yourself and tell us the purpose why you’re out this late!”

“My name is Tsunashi Ryuunosuke and I am on my way to pick up my master. He has expressed desire to go watch the stars drown in the nearby lake.”

“What the –“, the voice was confused by that purpose. Tenn was too. What kind of master was ‘Ryuu’, as Gaku had called him earlier, talking about?

“– Who is your master?”

“Nikaido Yamato of the Musashi House, sir.”

“Nikaido, huh… I’ve heard some weird shit about him”, a different voice said, “I guess after inspecting your cart you can go.”

Gaku next to him held his breath, and still holding his wrist Tenn could feel that his heartbeat had accelerated, just like Tenn’s own had done. Down in the carriage, Tenn felt helpless. There was nothing he could do now but stay quiet. Either they got discovered or they didn’t.

Above them loud footsteps could be heard. The guards took their sweet time looking for anything suspicious. The thief shifted uncomfortably, and Tenn couldn’t believe that he was the one to have to do this, he was supposed to be the one being rescued here, but he found Gaku’s face and used his free hand to cover his mouth. Effectively muffling any sounds that might escape his comrade in his suffering.

Oddly enough he felt how his own heartbeat slowed down the more physical contact he had with Gaku, and how Gaku’s heartbeat did the same. They were in sync, Tenn’s mind provided him, a pulse duet played right here, with both their hearts in close proximity.

Gaku didn’t seem to notice anything. He was too occupied with moderating his breathing, but Tenn did.  
The discovery felt important somehow, sacred even. He would think about that later.

The boots that had been trampling around over their heads disappeared, the two soldiers wished Ryuu good luck with his strange master, and the carriage began moving again.

Tenn let go of Gaku’s face, and the man immediately began complaining: “I can take care of myself you little brat!”

“Apparently you can’t”, Tenn replied and squeezed Gaku’s wrist.

That made him shut up, but he still grumbled something about being the one who was supposed to be looking cool doing an escape, and not Tenn.

“I doubt that either of us look very ‘cool’ right now, so we’re even, aren’t we? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that the great Yaotome Gaku is afraid of small spaces.”

Gaku sighed. “I can’t win against you in this one”, he said sadly. Tenn wished it was brighter, so he would be able to see his expression. Gaku sounded like he was pouting and Tenn _really_ wanted to be able to see that. Well, later maybe.

The rest of the ride, it turned out shorter than Tenn had expected it to be, proceeded in relative silence.

Finally, light shone into to the compartment again. A man with slightly messy brown hair was looking at them.

“Gaku, are you alright?”, Tenn recognized his voice as their carter, Ryuu.

“I guess I am”, Gaku answered, and let Ryuu help him get out of the carriage. Afterwards he also helped Tenn. Ryuu’s height exceeded that of the average man in the kingdom, Tenn noticed first. Despite the height and his muscle mass, he gave off an impression of a gentle giant.

“Your majesty, it is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Tsunashi Ryuunosuke, but you can call me Ryuu if you please.”

“Alright, Ryuu”, Tenn nodded, “Then please call me Tenn, and not your majesty. I dislike formalities like this, and out of the castle there is no need for that.”

Ryuu smiled and shook Tenn’s hand. Then he turned around to Gaku.

“What I said earlier isn’t a lie. I have to go pick Yamato-kun up, he called for me earlier. I doubt he really wants to watch the stars though…”

Gaku looked even more pale than normal. He had taken his mask off, and Tenn could finally look at him out of his kitchen uniform and without his mask for once. He was beautiful, Tenn found, and his heart beat faster again.

“If you were any paler than this you’d be transparent”, Tenn said and chuckled.

“Hey!”, was all Gaku managed to reply, before he focused on Ryuu again, “Go take care of Nikaido, like you always do.”

“Will you be okay here?”, Ryuu asked, but he was already getting onto the coach box again.

“I can handle showing a newbie around. Focus on your task”, Gaku said and waved Ryuu goodbye. Tenn did the same.

Gaku sighed. “Ryuu is usually our driver here at headquarters, but he also has another job with one of the nobles in the city. Well, it’s less a job than a personal commitment, but still. At least that Nikaido is supporting us financially, and he assured us that he’s on our side and finding us other noble allies for us.”

“You have a network?”, Tenn asked, “And it hasn’t been detected yet?”

“If it has then it has been detected by someone who is on our side”, Gaku explained, “A lot of people are on our side, and most at least suspect that something is going on. Now that we have you we can actually do something that’s not helplessly watching our people getting killed.”

Tenn nodded quietly. He had only known about the situation in the kingdom for a few days now and it was already painful for him. He couldn’t imagine how it must have been for Gaku, who presumably had known about it for months, or years. The suffering must have been unbearable. All people of this kingdom were strong, to have survived under King Kujou – May He Rule Forever.

Gaku began walking, and for the first time Tenn looked at their surroundings. They were standing on front of a house that looked like a post office. It probably was a post office, as the name ‘Izumi Post’ was familiar to Tenn. The Izumi brothers were the managers of their own post office, and it was the most trusted post office in the kingdom, to the point where the two brothers had been granted the status of nobles, and their business had become the official royal post.

“The Izumi brothers?”, Tenn asked. Gaku just smiled.

“They’re both part of this as well, yes.”

They entered the post office, and a person who was sitting at the front desk raised their head. They had long, pink hair and smiled upon seeing Gaku.

“Welcome back, leader”, they greeted him, and Gaku smiled and nodded his head as a greeting as well. They pulled a lever that was hidden under their desk, and the wall panelling next to the desk opened up in a secret mechanism and revealed a corridor into the depths of the building.

The ‘leader’ resonated in Tenn’s head for a while. He really had gotten lucky, to be found by the leader of the revolution.

Gaku let Tenn go inside first and followed him right after. The steps were illuminated by torches that burned in small alcoves in the wall. The flames were shaking lightly, and when Tenn concentrated on it he could feel the breeze that was layered with the perfume of secrets coming from the depths of the post office.

When they arrived at the lowest point of the steps, Tenn saw a basement room full of chairs, tables and a lot of shelves that were filled with folder after folder. A whole wall was swallowed behind the row of shelves, and Tenn questioned what kind of information the revolution gathered up down here. A corridor next to the steps also led somewhere, but Tenn expected it to be some other rooms used by the revolution.

He didn’t have a lot of time to think about the room anymore, because from the table where two people were seated at, someone came running towards him and tackled him to the ground.

“Tenn-nii!”, the red-haired boy called from above Tenn. He was still recovering from the impact of having been thrown to the floor – nothing that his great protector Yaotome Gaku couldn’t have prevented, Tenn would definitely nag him about that later – but now he took a good look at the face of the boy. He knew that face. He hadn’t seen it in a long time, but at the same time had actually seen it every day, in the mirror. Despite being fraternal twins he and Riku had always looked very similar, apart from the colours of their hair and eyes.

“Riku?!”, Tenn asked flabbergasted. He felt an incredible happiness bubbling up in his stomach. Enthusiastically he hugged Riku back. When he had thought about what he wanted to do when he got out of the castle he had allowed himself to think about being able to see his brother again, but he hadn’t thought that he would be able to actually meet him in the first few hours after his escape.

Then it dawned on him. Riku was here. In the headquarters of the revolution. Where it was definitely not safe.

As best as he managed to, he was still lying on the floor buried under a mass of cuddly Riku, who really had grown over the last years, he turned his head and glared at Gaku.

“You’re letting my little brother participate in the revolution?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”

“Hey, he joined on his own. And if I’m honest, I didn’t really believe him at first when he said that prince Kujou Tenn was his older twin brother.”

Riku stopped cuddling Tenn like a dog that had missed his owner for a moment to look up to Gaku. “Yaotome-san didn’t believe me, can you believe that Tenn-nii? Even though I told them everything _right_ after I joined.”

Tenn continued to glare at Gaku. The leader just raised an eyebrow.

“Nanase-san”, someone cleared his throat behind them. When Tenn looked at the direction the voice had come from he recognized the younger Izumi brother, Izumi Iori.

“I am sure that this is not the correct protocol to greet a newcomer, am I mistaken, Nanase-san?”

“But Iori, this is Tenn-nii! I haven’t seen him in an eternity, you can’t just –“

“I can and I will. Nanase-san, get your materials to document this. I will interrogate this one, like it’s supposed to be.”

“Izumi-otouto, I selected him myself”, Gaku interrupted Iori, “It’s unnecessary to do something like that.”

“But the protocol!”

“We’re going to be ending this in a few days’ time if everything goes according to plan”, Gaku said, “We don’t have to worry about protocols now. Especially not with the crown prince.”

Tenn wondered why he was still being called the crown prince. He had finally escaped from the castle, so he really shouldn’t have to worry about being the crown prince anymore, right? But if it saved him the trouble of being interrogated by the scarily intense Izumi Iori he was glad about that.

“Alright then”, Iori sighed, “I will be taking Nanase-san with me. It is quite late and we do not have the evening shift. I assume you can take care of the place until the replacement comes, no?”

“One jealous boyfriend you are”, Gaku teased, “Who is on night shift today?”

Tenn decided that he’d ignore the boyfriend comment for the time being. He and Riku would have time to talk about what had happened in their lives during the time they hadn’t seen each other, and he doubted that Riku wouldn’t tell him about something like having a lover.

“Yotsuba-san and Ousaka-san are, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Ah, MEZZO”.”

Tenn blinked in surprise. MEZZO” were a famous duo of musicians who travelled across the land. They had yet to perform before the king, but rumours said that he would probably be pleased by them, as their harmony was at least close to the perfection the king loved so much.  
That those two were involved in the revolution as well was very surprising to Tenn.

“Tenn, let’s wait until those musicians arrive. You can sit down wherever.”

Gaku still seemed tense, and Tenn could feel the same strain himself. The escape had been stressful, and it still felt a little surreal, as if it had never happened.

Like he had been instructed to do, he sat down on one of the chairs. They were simple chairs and simple tables. They probably hadn’t been expensive. Well, the revolution surely had better things to do with their funds than buy good furniture.

Gaku sat down next to him. Tenn felt the same atmosphere from when they had been in the secret compartment of the carriage again. Their hearts beating in unison had been scary, and Tenn really didn’t know what it meant for them. He wanted to talk to Gaku about it, but at the same time he finally felt the fatigue from the escape kick in, now that the adrenaline was gone. He rested his head on his arms on the table. Breathing evenly he didn’t pay any attention to his surroundings. Gaku was just as quiet as he was, maybe because he was just as tired as Tenn was, or maybe because he didn’t want to disturb Tenn.

For a reason unknown to him, Tenn could still feel his heartbeat. It wasn’t frantic anymore, like it had been when the soldiers had walked over them, only separated from them through a small piece of wood, but it was still noticeably there, strong and calm in his chest, almost asleep as he was. And just like in the carriage he could also feel another heartbeat resonating with his, in perfect sync. Their pulse duet thrummed through Tenn’s veins. It was calming.

Tenn could feel himself drifting off, when suddenly steps approached them, and two arguing voices could be heard.

“…stop nagging me, we’re not even late.”

“Really?! One more minute and we would have been, and you know how much Iori-kun despises tardiness. He might not even give you reward candy this time.”

“If I don’t get a reward from Iorin then Sou-chan just has to get me one.”

A sigh. “I can’t be bothered to win against you in a pointless argument, Tamaki-kun, especially not this late.”

Gaku shifted next to him, and stood up to greet the two newcomers. MEZZO”, as it seemed, had come to headquarters from a longer mission, had slept for a few hours and were to keep the night shift while writing their report. That was what Gaku told the two of them, before he turned around to the table.

“You asleep already, prince?”, he asked.

“Prince…?”, one of the two others asked confused, but the other pulled him away to gather materials for writing their report.

“Almost”, Tenn said and looked up. He supressed a yawn, “Do you have beds in the revolution?”

“Obviously we do.”

“Then take me to one.”

“Demanding, aren’t you?”

“Guess I am…”

Gaku pulled Tenn’s chair back and threw Tenn over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Even though he would’ve liked to complain Tenn didn’t have the energy anymore.

He felt how Gaku carried him through a few dimly lit corridors and finally arrived in a room where he let Tenn fall into a bed. It was bigger than Tenn had expected it to be, and the sheets were clean.

“Is this your bed?”, Tenn asked while he was already pulling the blanket over his head.

“It’s the one that was assigned to me tonight”, Gaku said while he was putting Tenn’s coat on a hanger by the door, “We don’t have that many beds, so we all share. I’ll go find out which bed is supposed to be Ryuu’s and sleep there. I doubt he’ll return from Nikaido’s place tonight, and even if he does, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”

“Why don’t you just sleep here?”, Tenn didn’t know where this bold idea came from. He was really tired after all, ”It’s your bed.”

Gaku swallowed audibly. “Are you sure you want to share a bed with me? I’m sure you noticed already, but our heartbeats –“

“Let’s talk about that in the morning, yes?”

“…alright.”

Gaku sat down on the bed next to him. He hesitated to lie down, until Tenn pulled on his sleeve.

“If you’re not coming to bed I won’t sleep.”

That made Gaku comply, and the leader of the rebellion finally followed Tenn into bed. Sighing contentedly Tenn closed his eyes.

The pulse duet lulled him to sleep in minutes.

 

In the morning Tenn woke up to an empty bed and a commotion. Loud and angry voices were heard in the corridor, and he recognized one of them as Gaku’s voice. Immediately Tenn sat straight in his bed. What had happened? Had they been discovered?

Then he heard laughter from at least two or three people. Laughter like this, light and free, shouldn’t be audible in a dire situation, so Tenn relaxed again. He got up from the bed and looked outside.

In the corridor that was now brighter than last night he saw four people being chased by a fifth person. His brother was there, a short man he recognized as the older Izumi brother, Izumi Mitsuki, and MEZZO”, of which one member looked strangely agonized.

The chaser was no other than Yaotome Gaku himself.

“What’s going on?”, Tenn asked when they passed his door again.

“Good morning!”, Riku greeted him, and Tenn returned the greeting.

“The king – May He Rule Forever – ordered a warrant for the leader”, the taller one of MEZZO”, if Tenn remembered correctly his name was Yotsuba Tamaki, explained, breathless from laughter and running around for who knows how long.

“And the picture they used for the wanted poster is _hilarious_ ”, Izumi Mitsuki said and shoved a piece of paper in Tenn’s face.

Tenn took hold of it, before Gaku cried out that he shouldn’t be looking at it.

It was classically labelled “Wanted Dead or Alive: Yaotome Gaku”, but the sketch that had been added to the poster indeed was hilarious.

If one knew who is was supposed to depict then one could see some similarities, but apart from hair colour and the light skin not a lot of the original Yaotome Gaku was left on the picture. An enlarged chin and a nose more crooked than those of alcoholics who frequently participate in bar fights under eyes that were too round and shining like they were full of tears. Full lips like a woman’s and slight stubble on his chin that Tenn definitely hadn’t seen there yet completed the picture.

Gaku had apparently given up, because his shoulders were hanging. His resigned form in front of Tenn made him laugh as well.

“I don’t know what your problem is. I think this looks exactly like you.”

“I’m _way_ hotter than”, Gaku helplessly gestured toward the wanted poster, “than this!”

Tenn took another look at the picture and at Gaku’s despairing face.

“No, the artist definitely captured the essence of you.”

A last helpless groan, and then Gaku turned around and walked away.

“Save me a copy of this wanted poster, will you?”, Tenn said, and Mitsuki nodded.

“Sure, no problem. It’s not like we get to make fun of our leader often, so we need to make sure that this opportunity won’t be stolen away from us.”

Both Tamaki and Riku nodded, while the second member of MEZZO”, Ousaka Sougo, wore a strained smile.

“Tenn-nii, now that I see you I remembered, the leader told me to tell you something important. Should we do that over breakfast? You haven’t eaten yet, have you?

“I haven’t, no. Let’s do that.”

 

The two brothers ate in silence, until Riku had finished the meal.

“So”, he began, “I’m sure you know the story of the witch who cursed our hearts to be like this.”

Riku opened his shirt and revealed an empty hole where his heart was supposed to be.

Tenn almost choked on his food. “Where is your heart Riku?!”

“Ah, right, you don’t know that. Iori has it right now. We’re sharing one heart.”

“How… does that work?”

“Well, the witch was in love, right? So she wanted her lover’s heart to never be stolen by anyone but her, so she didn’t only make it possible for hearts to be physically stolen. She managed to bind the hearts together with her curse as well. She created an unbreakable bond between the hearts, making them as good as one heart in total. Physically they’re still two different organs, but the people whose hearts are connected like that can swap their hearts however they like to, and it doesn’t make any difference.”

“So you and Izumi Iori…?”

“Yes, Iori and I found out about this when we went looking for information on magic that we might be able to use for the revolution. We had known that our heartbeats were the same for while at that point, so we thought that this witch’s extended curse might apply to this as well. And well, we just tried it out, swapping our hearts.”

“And it worked? Just like that?”

“If people who aren’t bound together try to swap their hearts then they aren’t even able to insert the foreign heart into their chest, but with us it worked perfectly. MEZZO” also has it, that’s why their harmony is so good. We are now connected to two hearts each. Well, Iori and I only have one heart left.”

“Why only one heart? Did something happen?”

“When we were on an outside mission together Iori was shot. I have no idea whose heart he was carrying when it happened, at that point we had swapped them often enough to lose sight of which heart belonged to whom, but he was shot through the chest with an arrow. I was super afraid that I was going to lose him, but Iori didn’t die. Even though the heart in his chest had stopped beating, the one in mine beat for the two of us.”

“And that’s why you’re sharing a heart now?”, Tenn had to process all this information.

“Yep! Iori has it for the next few days because I’m leaving to control the south, and he’ll stay here. Knowing our heart to be safe is important for both of us.”

Tenn closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

“And you’re telling me this, because Gaku and I also have this bond you’re talking about?”

“Presumably you do, yes.”

“And he couldn’t tell me himself because…?”

“Because I’m the Nr. 1 expert for the heart-legend here”, Riku explained, “Also I’m pretty sure that he’s unhappy to be dependent on you, for the plans and his life.”

While Tenn had been gone Riku had become a renowned member of the revolution, had found very real details about an age-old legend and had also found love. Tenn couldn’t help but feel proud.

“You’ve grown, Riku”, Tenn said and smiled. His brother smiled back.

“You too, Tenn-nii. And now go talk to the leader. He’ll explain the plan to you. I’ll show you to his office.”

 

The office door looked different from the other doors in the base. It was broader and wasn’t made from the rough, cheap wood like all the others. Instead it didn’t even look like it belonged here in the underground.

Tenn entered without knocking.

Behind the desk that also looked out of place Gaku sat. He had his mask put down on the table, and was drinking some hot beverage from a cup. Tenn felt like he could keep watching this scene forever, because it was so peaceful, but immediately after he thought that Gaku looked up from whatever he was reading at the moment, and looked Tenn straight in the eyes.

The gaze was intense, and Tenn felt like Gaku could look straight into his soul.

“So Nanase already told you about it?”, he asked.

Tenn nodded, and decided to be bold, even though he didn’t know the correct procedure for a situation like this: “Do you want to swap hearts and test if we’re the same?”

A sigh. Gaku rubbed his temples. “I… You realise what kind of commitment that is, do you? Being able to live on even if one heart is destroyed may sound like an advantage at first, but it’s way more than that. I don’t want you to grow tired of being connected to me, because we cannot go back.”

“Where does that bashfulness come from, Leader of the Revolution?”, Tenn cocked his head in question, “And here I was thinking that you were the most confident man in this kingdom. Who wouldn’t love to be connected to you?”

“See, you don’t want to be. I get that. We’re just not MEZZO” or Izumi-otouto and Nanase.”

“Gaku”, he scolded, “I’m just teasing you. Obviously I want to be connected to you. I… don’t really have a name for this feeling yet, but with you I feel safe. I trust you. When we fell asleep yesterday I felt more comfortable than I ever felt before.”

The other man didn’t answer for a while. Then he got up from his chair and walked around the table. He opened a few buttons of his shirt, and carefully removed his heart from his chest. He held the container in his hand, and held it out to Tenn.

The beating heart in his palm matched Tenn’s own rhythm, like it had been doing for the past few days – or maybe their entire lives. Who knew.

Quickly Tenn did the same with his own heart. It was the first time he had actually taken his own heart out. It didn’t really feel any different, if anything it felt good taking it out, like when his first baby teeth had come loose and he had been able to loosen them and show them to his parents proudly. He held his own palm out to Gaku, and the other man carefully took the heart. Tenn did the same.

Feeling Gaku’s pulse under his fingers like this felt special, more special than when they had been pressed together in the carriage, or when they had slept together. It was more direct, and Tenn felt like he should cherish this moment, as it felt sacred in a way.

Gaku inserted Tenn’s heart into his chest, and for a few seconds he stilled, to the point where Tenn thought that something was wrong, but then he straightened and smiled at Tenn.

“It works?”

“It works.”

Tenn did what Gaku had done then, and he as well felt a little strange for a few moments, light headed and just generally _strange_ , but these feelings disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared. Still he stayed in his position, body bent over and his face hidden from Gaku’s sight.

“Tenn? Is everything alright with you?”

“It… hurts”, Tenn breathed. He felt a little sorry for faking this, but scaring Gaku seemed like a fun idea.

His plan worked. Gaku rushed forward and grabbed his shoulders. The heart in his chest began beating in fear.

“Where does it hurt? Can you breathe? Can you take it out again?”, Gaku sounded as if he was panicking. Maybe he was.

“That won’t...”, Tenn quit his act and grinned up at Gaku. He knew that the mischievous glint in his eyes must have looked infuriating to Gaku, “be necessary.”

“You brat”, instead of letting go of Tenn Gaku pulled him into an embrace that took Tenn’s breath away, “Don’t ever do this again.”

In the embrace Tenn felt their heartbeat calm down again. Carefully he wrapped his arms around Gaku as well. He could get used to this actually, Tenn thought. The feeling was comfortable and warm...

“You worry about me, huh?”

“Obviously”, Gaku pulled himself together again and let go of Tenn. He walked behind his desk and sat down again, “You’re an important member of the revolution now.”

Tenn had understood that there was a different reason than the revolution too, but he kept his mouth shut when he thought about what Riku had said before.

_“He’s unhappy to be dependent on you.”_

Well, Tenn would let it slip this time. They could always talk about this later.

 

Market day had arrived, and with it the day for the revolution’s scheme had arrived as well. It had been announced that the king would be on the city’s marketplace to finally be able to see MEZZO" perform.  
Tenn watched the stage that had been constructed in the middle of the marketplace. Even though it was this early in the day people were already running around, buying and selling, setting up their booths...

"Are you ready?", Gaku asked behind him. They were hiding in a room that one of the citizens on their side had provided for them. Well, if the rumours were true then most if not all the people of the kingdom were on their side.

He stared down at his empty chest, where no heart rested. His original heart was currently inside Gaku's chest, beating strongly. Tenn could feel it.  
"Ready if you are", he said then and looked up at Gaku. His enthusiasm was greeted with a grin of confidence.

"We'll do this. It's going to be easy. The king - May He Rule Forever - won't be able to do anything against us."

"Of course."

"And then you'll become our king."

"That I will", even though Tenn still didn't know if he actually wanted it, but that had been the plan of the revolution all along, and who was he to deny this request to people who had grown precious to him in the span of just a few days? Who knew how much more they would mean to him in a month, or a year.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you. Like the last few days."

That was actually comforting news to Tenn. He and Gaku had grown closer in the short while they had spent together. Maybe it was because of the bond of their hearts, their pulse duet, or maybe it was something else. Tenn was looking forward to finding out more about himself and Gaku.  
Still, having Gaku with him when he started his reign would be good. Actually, Tenn thought, he would like to have Gaku with him for the whole duration of his reign.

"Look, they're starting. We have to get ready."

An announcer, whom Tenn recognized as Izumi Mitsuki in disguise, was standing on stage and announced that shortly the king - May He Rule Forever - would arrive.  
When said the revolution's slogan a murmur went through the crowd. The people knew what was happening, or at least suspected that something was going to happen.

Tenn held Gaku’s heart in his hand. Gaku had insisted that Tenn would be the heart that would be kept safe in Gaku’s chest, even though Tenn had argued that now that their hearts were both beating for more than one person, it wouldn’t matter which heart they used, but Gaku hadn’t given in.

Tenn felt exposed in the loose shirt that he was wearing. But it couldn’t be helped, he would have to show the hole in his chest, for their plan. Finally he inserted the heart into his chest again.

Tenn walked along with Gaku. He was nervous, but Gaku’s presence and their mutual heartbeat in his chest calmed him down. They arrived behind the stage, and almost immediately Tenn heard Mitsuki announce the beginning of the show.

Gaku took Tenn’s hand and squeezed his wrist reassuringly before pulling him along with him, onto the stage. He felt the many stares of the crowd burning on his skin.

“Welcome, King Kujou!”, Gaku called next to him, “Welcome to your abdication!”

That definitely wasn’t the opening line Tenn had suggested, but that was obviously Gaku’s sense for being dramatic taking over again.

“You King Kujou, you have tormented this kingdom long enough. Your obsession with perfection has driven you to insanity, and now you’re nothing more but a nuisance and a threat to your people.”

The familiar voice of the king and Tenn’s adopted father sounded over the marketplace.

“This is him! This is the thief who took my son! Guards, catch him immediately!”

Guards came running towards the stage, but a wall of people stopped them.

“We, the revolution, are telling you, King Kujou, to abdicate right now, and transfer your power to your son Kujou Tenn over here.”

Tenn smiled and waved into the crowd. The heart in his chest felt heavier than it should be, but nonetheless he still did his best to play this role for the minute. Smile and wave... Smile and wave.

“Tenn?! You’re in on this?!”

“Kujou-san… There’s no way that after all that you’ve done to hurt this kingdom I could still support you”, Tenn took a deep breath and opened up his shirt. He took the heart from his chest and knelt down in front of Gaku, “Hereby I pledge to do my best for the kingdom and all its people. I swear on this heart that I’m holding in my hand that I will dedicate my life to be the best king this kingdom has ever seen. So please, people of the kingdom – help me overthrow that tyrant.”

Like a fish on the land Kujou was opening and closing his mouth, but no words were coming out.

“Hear that everyone?”, Gaku asked into he crowd, “Abdicate! Abdicate!”

Some people in the crowd whom Tenn suspected to be part of the revolution, began chanting along with Gaku. “Abdicate, abdicate, abdicate!”

Along with the chorus the two guards who had stayed at King Kujou’s side unsheathed their swords and pointed them at the king. Kujou didn’t seem to know what was happening to him. He had to watch as his people turned against him in masses, people of all classes, rich and poor, they all stared at him and their flaming conviction manifested itself in a single word, chanted over and over again.

“Abdicate! Abdicate! Abdicate! Abdicate! Abdicate!”

When Kujou raised his hands in defeat and the two guards next to him put him in shackles, cheers of happiness could be heard all over the marketplace, and probably beyond that as well. Gaku raised his hands and voice to ask for silence.

“Hereby Kujou is arrested and thrown off his throne and his son Kujou Tenn is our king! Does anyone have anything against this decision?”

Silence. Then a call.

“Long live the king!”

Soon others joined in and Tenn knelt there on the stage, a crowd in front of him, no heart in his chest, and people pledging their loyalty to him as their king. He turned to Gaku and smiled. A grin was the answer. Gaku seemed happy that it had all processed smoothly. Tenn felt the same relief.

“Shall we proceed then, my king?”

 

King Kujou Tenn traced the frame of his window with his finger. The rose wood under the pads of his fingers was still as smooth as he remembered it to be from the days where it had served as a barrier, keeping him from going outside and see the world as it was. Now it was but a reminder of worse times.

"What are you thinking about?", a voice from behind him asked. As usual Tenn hadn't heard Gaku approaching him. He wondered if he would ever get used to that, or if Gaku would ever let go of his habit of silently approaching Tenn.

"Nothing important", he answered and smiled his practiced smile that he actually didn't want to use for Gaku, or anyone else, really, "Why are you here?"

"Because of something very important", Gaku's relaxed stance and gentle tone made Tenn believe that whatever matter had made Gaku come up here wasn't _that_ important, but Gaku loved to be dramatic, so that was to be expected.

"And that would be?"

"You."

"Charming Gaku, really."

"You're my king now. That's important."

A bitter taste filled Tenn's mouth. "You'd be a better king than I am", he said quietly, "I wasn't out there suffering with the people all those years, unlike you. You'd make a good king Gaku."

Gaku chuckled lowly and stepped closer to Tenn. A hand on his shoulder made his heartbeat speed up, and he knew that Gaku's heart did the same. Their pulse duet was his reason for striving forward on all bad days, and on most good days as well. Tenn couldn’t describe how important the bond between himself and Gaku was to him.

"Gaku..."

"How could I be a good king when I forced you to stay here in the castle, even though your heart yearns for freedom? I'm no better than the former king."

Gaku didn't add the May He Rule Forever and it hit Tenn. Kujou wasn't king anymore. Tenn was king now. The heartless king, as they called him, not because he was ruthless, but because he had assumed his position on the throne without a heart beating in his chest. He had since received Gaku’s heart back from the people, as a symbol that they accepted his trust and wanted Tenn to trust them as well, but the nickname had stuck.

"You'd be better. Of course you'd be better. All those ideas, of the council of citizens and everything was your idea. You’re more skilled in most of the areas a king has to be skilled… And I'm not always staying here. I visit the people all over the country. That's pretty exciting."

Gaku's hand on his shoulder wandered closer to his neck. Tenn felt an involuntary shudder, but suppressed it. He didn't want to show Gaku what kind of effect he had on him. Gaku probably already knew that, as Tenn had the same effects on him. He still wanted to try an hide it.

"So you'd want me to be king in your place?"

Fingers against his neck, feeling his pulse, in sync with the finger's owner's pulse. A duet, the two of them, incomplete without each other. How had he survived without Gaku by his side this long?

"No...", Tenn mumbled, "If you became king without me I'd feel lonely."

Again a revelation hit Tenn. That was the reason Gaku had come here. He had felt lonely because Tenn had worked so much over the past months, to establish his reign, to make the people believe in him, accept him. And Gaku had worked just as much. They barely had had any time to see each other. It had been lonely.

"'Without you'? What are you suggesting then?", Gaku was now cupping Tenn's face with his hand, and Tenn reached up to hold the hand close. He didn't want Gaku to let go of him ever again. Their synchronised heartbeats and Gaku's close proximity clouded his mind.

"Become king with me?", Tenn breathed, and Gaku chuckled again.

"And how would that work?"

The king couldn't take the tension anymore and used his free hand to pull Gaku's head closer to his. Their lips crashed together clumsily. That first kiss was messy and not all that great if Tenn admitted it to himself, but he still felt their hearts beating with joy, as if this was the greatest and most exciting thing that had ever happened to them. In a way it was.

"Asshole", Tenn grumbled, "You know exactly what I mean." He let go of Gaku's collar that he had used to pull the other man closer. The look on Gaku's face, dilated pupils and features softer than a chinchilla pelt, so full of love, were something Tenn could get used to. When he tried to distance himself, Gaku pulled him into an embrace.

"Seems that I've stolen your heart in more than one way", he said. Tenn could hear the shit-eating grin.

"You idiot...", an affectionate smile mildened the harsh words, "Is that a yes?"

"If your proposal was what I think it was, then yes, of course. I'll gladly accept it. It's not every day that a king asks you to become his husband."

Tenn felt his face flush a furious red and he was glad that it was buried in Gaku's chest, so the other couldn't see it and tease him about it.

"I stole your heart too", Tenn said instead of giving a real answer, "And it'll always be mine."

"Of course, my king", Gaku chuckled again, and tightened the embrace.

Behind the rose wood frame the sun sank behind the horizon and bathed the couple in the red light of a commencement. The commencement of a new government, and a new royal couple. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment if you liked it :D
> 
> If you want to scream at me about anything you can do so on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/eins__kai) or [tumblr](https://einskai.tumblr.com/)~
> 
> Have a nice day!
> 
> \- Kai


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